And His Name Shall Be Called

I’ve been reading a chapter in Proverbs each night for a couple months now, and the other day this verse stood out to me:

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10

The study of the names of God used in the Bible could be a lifelong pursuit, because there are so many and each has such depth of meaning. It is not simply that God has many names, it is that each and every one tells us something about God’s character, about who He is.

These names are like a strong tower, because in being reminded of who God is, we are reminded that He is our true refuge. In Him, we can rest in the peace of knowing we are safe and protected.

As we enter the month of December and prepare for Christmas, let’s look at the names of God found in Isaiah 9:6.

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

I always walk away from this verse with the song from Handel’s Messiah running through my mind. But as familiar as this verse is, it is easy to miss the “strong towers” it holds, and what they mean for you and me today.

Wonderful

This word is from a root which means to be separate. In this verse, it means a miracle, or something that causes us to marvel, to be filled with wonder. God is different than us, different from all of creation. He is holy, just, pure, loving, righteous, faithful, unchanging, eternal, present everywhere and in all of time, all at once. He is all-powerful, and yet wholly good. Completely perfect, yet perfectly compassionate towards us in our sin. God is incomprehensible and yet chose to give us glimpses of His glory. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all life, yet chose to die on the cross for our sin.  

These are just a few of the ways in which God is separate or different from us, but each is ample cause for wonder. And yet, when was the last time you or I just sat and pondered God? When was the last time you allowed wonder to fill your heart and mind, down to the depths of your soul?

This is a challenge in our modern society. We fill our days to the brim, rushing here and there—especially during the Christmas season—leaving little time for the depth of thought that leads us to wonder. And yet, everything about our God should cause us to be full to overflowing with wonder and awe. Our God is indeed Wonderful.

Counsellor

This is one characteristic of Christ that has captured my attention anew this year. The Hebrew word here literally means to advise. As Counsellor, Christ is the One to whom His people can turn when we need counsel or advice. As I thought about this, James 1:5 came to mind:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

The very wisdom of God is available to us, but James 1:6 tells us the one requirement:

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

We must believe that our Divine Counsellor will answer our petition for wisdom—and we must by faith submit to the fact that God’s wisdom is true and right. Sometimes, it’s not so much that I don’t believe God will give me wisdom, but that I doubt the answers He gives will really work, or that it is really from God. But James addresses this, too:

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peacable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”  (3:17)

God has promised His wisdom, and told us how to recognize it. We truly do have a Counsellor on whom we can rely.

The Mighty God

This phrase is fittingly translated the Mighty God, but the Hebrew words have an even stronger emphasis on the might of God. This reminds us that the Savior whose birth we celebrate is not just a wise teacher, not just a Being worthy of our wonder and adoration, but the Mighty God. He alone is God, He is all-powerful, and He is God. Note what Deuteronomy 10:17 says:

“For the Lord your God is a God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.”

This is God in all His majesty and splendor, God enthroned above all else, supreme and sovereign over all. This is the God who chose to enter His creation as a helpless baby, living in all His purity and holiness among sinful mankind in a sin-stained world. The baby in the manger is not just a baby—He is the Mighty God Himself. Remember what Gabriel told Mary when she puzzled over the impossibility of the virgin birth:

“For with God, nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)

The Everlasting Father

This title means just what it says: the Savior is the Everlasting Father. Not only is Jesus God, He is the same God as the Father. But this is not just here to put the unity of the Trinity on display.  

Think of the contrast: God in all His might and power versus the idea of God as Father, a loving, compassionate Authority personally involved in the lives of His children.

Through Christ, our reigning King on His throne gladly hears and answers your petitions and mine just as any loving father would listen to his own children. He is everlasting, which means He will never, can never be defeated or destroyed. Unlike earthly fathers sometimes do, our Everlasting Father will never abandon or abuse us. As Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

This same fulness of the character of God illustrated by the contrast between the concepts of the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father is also seen throughout the New Testament.

The same Jesus Who has been made judge of all things (John 5:27) also had compassion on the sick, lame, demon possessed, hungry and lost. The conquering warrior of Revelation 19:20-26 also wept at the tomb of Lazarus and took children up in His arms to bless them. Our God is magnificent in the splendor of His sovereignty, and yet He is so personal in the tenderness of His love for us. This is the Savior we celebrate.  

The Prince of Peace

The Hebrew word for Prince means simply head, ruler, or chief. When I looked up the word translated peace here, I was struck by the picture it gives.

It is perhaps the most commonly recognized Hebrew word, shalom, and literally means safe and well. Isn’t that just what Christ came to give us? In Him we are safe, not just for this lifetime but for all eternity, and as Isaiah 53 puts it, “with His stripes we are healed.” (v.5b)

When the angels announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds, they proclaimed,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14)

Jesus came to be the Prince of Peace. As Romans 5:1 says,

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

And Jesus Himself said,

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Through Christ, we have the very peace of God, just as we have His wisdom, and His power available to us when we look in faith to Him.

So, dear reader, as we enter this busy season of mingled rushing and rejoicing, may we stop to let our hearts fill with awe of our Wonderful God as we look to Christ, for our Counsellor offers wisdom, our Mighty God offers strength, our Everlasting Father offers love, compassion, and guidance, and our Prince of Peace offers us safety, security, and the very peace of God that passes understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

The name of the Lord is a strong tower. When trials, tribulations, temptations, or the simple everyday pressures of life assail you this week, run to the Lord and take refuge in the God who is called “Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1